Abstract:

Summer and Smoke is one of Tennessee Williams’s important plays. When this drama was published, many critics thought that it repeated the themes of The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. In addition, they thought this drama lacked the passion and strength presented in A Streetcar Named Desire and it was not as touching as The Glass Menagerie. In 1952, its production and performance were very successful and since then it has drawn attention from the academic critics. The conflict between spirit and body is the lasting focus of Tennessee Williams’ theatrical creation. This conflict is described more delicately in Summer and Smoke. In this play, the playwright not only displays the intensification of the conflict but also highlights its resolution. The author of this paper takes the female protagonist Alma of the drama as the subject of study. From the perspective of Foucault’s idea of Aesthetics of Existence, the author explores how the Southern belle takes advantage of the self-knowledge to undergo the transformation from spiritual purity to body experience and achieves her self-construction. Alma goes through phases of spiritual pilgrimage and returning to the body experience guided by the notion of “self-enlightenment”. By combining spirit and body, Alma reaches the Aesthetics of Existence and achieves self-realization.

Keywords: Tennessee Williams; Summer and Smoke; spirit; body; Aesthetics of Existence

摘要：

《夏日烟云》是田纳西•威廉斯的一部重要剧作。1952年,其舞台演出获得巨大成功,从此引起学界的高度关注。精神与肉体的冲突是田纳西•威廉斯剧作中永恒的主题,这种精神与肉体的冲突在《夏日烟云》中表现得尤为突出。该剧中,作家不仅展示了精神与肉体冲突的强化,而且强调了冲突的消解。借助福柯的生存美学思想,笔者分析了剧中女主人公阿尔玛如何在“自我教化”理念的指引下,经历从精神朝圣到身体回归的蜕变过程。通过精神与身体的融合,阿尔玛最终走向生存美学,从而完成自我的追寻与建构。

关键词: 田纳西•威廉斯, 《夏日烟云》, 精神, 身体, 生存美学